Antiseptic attachment for telephone-mouthpieces.



No. 762,039. PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904.

J. FREBL.

ANTISEPTIG ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONE MOUTHPIECES APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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A TTOHNE Y INVENTOI? Jam e6 Freel.

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UNITED STATES Patented June '7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FREEL, OF LADY SMITH, CANADA.

ANTISEPTIC ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONE-MOUTHPIECES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,039, dated June 7, 1904.

Application fileil December 2, 1903. Serial No. 183,464. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it'known that l, J AMES FREEL, acitizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Ladysmith, Vancouver Island, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Antiseptic Attachments for Telephone-Mouthpieces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for preventing the communication of pulmonary or other diseases through the medium of a telephonemouthpiece, and comprises the application of a disk of antiseptically-treated silk or similar material to the mouthpiece of the instrument and means for the attachment of the same to the rim of the mouthpiece.

Vl'here a telephone is in common use, the condition of close proximity to the mouth of a speaker must render its mouthpiece a most favorable medium for the conveyance of pulmonary or other diseases which may be imparted by exhalation and inhalation.

The object of this invention is to guard against such risk by providing a means that will destroy any disease germs that may be exhaled or sputtered on the mouthpiece by a person using it and that will at the same time not interfere materially with the sound-waves.

The construction of the device and its mode of attachment to the mouthpiece of a telephone is fully set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation showingthe mouthpiece of atelephone and the antiseptic attachment in cross-section; Fig. 2, a cross-section .of the ring by which the antiseptic disk is attached, and Fig. 3 a plan or face view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail cross-section of a portion of the elastic retaining-ring applied to the edge of the mouthpiece.

1n the drawings the telephone is represented by 2, and its mouthpieceby 8. Across the outer aperture of the mouthpiece 3 is a diaphragm 4, of fine silk orsuch like material that will not interpose an appreciable resistance to the proper reception of the soundwaves and which has been antise ptically treated in some approved manner. This diaphragm 4 is secured to the rim of the mouthpiece by a retaining-ring 5, of rubber or similar material that will elastically adapt itself to slight variations in the diameter or conformation of the mouthpiece 3.

To provide for readily applying an antiseptic diaphragm to diflerent mouthpieces of slightly-varying diameters and to also maintain a perfect taut condition of the diaphragm, 1 have found as most suitable an elastic ring in the nature of a Hat hollow member having one of its flat faces thicker in cross-section than the other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and both of the said faces apertured, the aperture a: in the thicker face being of greater diameter than that of the aperture in in the other face, whereby to permit of readily forcing the thicker part of the hollow ring over the rim of the mouthpiece by stretching the same and with the thin portion of the rim stretched over that edge of the diaphragm that is lapped over the mouthpiece edge, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. By providing an elastic ring in the nature of ahollow member the elasticity of the ring will cause it to firmly grip the rim or edge of the mouthpiece, the thicker portion of the said ring-rim forming, as it were, an annular bead or clamping portion of considerably-greater rigidity than the other or thin part, which latter, by reason of the thicker part of the rim firmly gripping the mouthpiece, is stretched tightly over the peripheral edge of the diaphragm, which is thereby held firmly and taut over the mouthpiece, and, furthermore, by reason of that portion of the cover-ring that engages the diaphragm being stretched out very thin the vibratory movement of the diaphragm is not appreciably interfered with by reason of the said thin portion of the elastic fastening-ring contacting therewith. Another and important advantage gained by having that part of the ring thickened that engages the mouthpiece-flange is that the life of the ring is increased thereby, and by reason of the rigidity of the said thickened part of the ring the same will not readily slip off the mouthpiece or rot at its point of contact therewith.

' I am aware that antiseptic diaphragms have been provided for covering the edge of telephone-mouthpieces, which are held in place by the annular caps adapted to engage with the rim or flange of the telephone-mouthpiece. My invention differentiates from the devices of this character heretofore provided, so far as I know, in the peculiar shape of the elastic ring that clamps the diaphragm in position over the telephone-mouthpiece.

With this device any disease germs which may be exhaled or sputtered into the mouthpiece by an affected user of the telephone will be destroyed instead of otherwise communicating the disease to a subsequent user, who may happen to be susceptible.

The device is structurally extremely simple and can readily be applied to existing mouthpieces without the requirement for a workman or the use of tools.

I make no claim to any particular means for rendering the silk or other material antiseptic, nor do I desire to be restricted to the use of any particular material; but

What I claim as new, and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is

As an attachment for telephone and speakingtube mouthpieces, a diaphragm composed of a fabric capable of absorbing an antiseptic, the said diaphragm being of such size so its peripheral edge will lap over the annular rim of the mouthpiece to which the said diaphragm is to be applied, and a means for detachably securing the said diaphragm taut over the mouthpiece which consists of an elastic body composed of two ring portions joined to form arim U-shaped in cross-section, one of the ring portions being much thicker than the other, the internal diameter of the thicker ring being greater than that of the internal diameter of the thinner ring, whereby when the U-shaped portion of the elastic body is stretched across the mouthpiece the thin portion of the said body will be lapped against that portion of the diaphragm adjacent the rnouthpiecc-rim, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, JAMES FREEL. In presence of- J OI-IN L. BROWN, ANDREW DAVIDSON. 

